Picking Up the Pieces
by alescA Munroe
Summary: Kakashi had been there when Yondaime died, had seen the Kyuubi disappear, seen his sensei fall. And now he was faced with a pair of rookie chuunin who thought they could somehow make this situation better.  Kakashi, Izumo, Kotetsu. Rated for Izumo's mouth


//Disclaimer: You know the story- it's not mine, I just borrow the characters.

//Author's Notes: Eh heh. I should be working on the Fifteen, or at least my Calculus II homework, but I'm putting it off to bring you this.

o0o0o0o

Kakashi felt like he was dying. He knew he wasn't, of course, he'd made it through the Kyuubi's attack relatively unscathed. But he still felt like his heart was torn into pieces, and still tearing. Obito's eye hadn't stopped crying since the tailed beast disappeared from the horizon, and his own eye was red and swollen from its own tears.

Sensei was dead.

Yondaime Hokage, Yellow Flash, Sensei, Jiraiya's protégé...no matter the moniker, they all named one man and he was gone. Kakashi had fought his teacher's decision, Jiraiya demanded that someone else do the seal and Sandaime had agreed, but Yondaime had remained firm. _I have to protect my precious people in the best way I know how. This is it._

Kakashi had been there when Yondaime died, had seen the Kyuubi disappear, seen his sensei fall. He'd been the first to reach his sensei. Yondaime's eyes had been open and unseeing. There was no fear there, but neither was there peace, and Kakashi had closed his sensei's eyes before anyone else could see the truth he and Obito saw.

Yondaime had not wanted to die.

He had so much that he'd wanted to do for the village, so many plans to get Konoha back on its feet after the recently ended wars. He'd wanted to have sake with his wire specialist friend on Fridays, lunch with Kakashi on Saturdays and dinner with his wife every night and_ watch his son grow, dammit_. Yondaime hadn't believed his own words when he said this was the best way to protect his precious people, hadn't believed his death would be of any great service (yes, he'd be dying for his village, but any fool could die for their home, he'd often said when he was drunk on Fridays, but _living _for it took real work), but neither would he accept anyone else dying for Konoha.

A pounding on the door broke Kakashi from his thoughts, and he stumbled to it. As far as he knew, the entire village was in mourning for the man who had died just twelve hours before. He opened the door and stared at the two chuunin standing there. "What?"

Izumo gave him a half-annoyed, half-appalled look. Kotetsu looked more understanding, and his voice was determined. "We need to borrow a couple of shovels and a wheel barrow if you've got them."

Kakashi blinked, processing the request. "...Why?"

Kotetsu fumbled for the polite way to respond. Izumo's jaw dropped slightly and he sputtered in disbelieving anger before scathingly replying, "We're going to rebuild the village your sensei threw his fucking life away for, what the hell did you THINK we were going to use 'em for? God, and here I thought you made jounin so fucking fast on brains. We don't have all day, Iruka and Anko are already badgering anyone who isn't fucking bleeding out or keeping anyone's guts where they're supposed to be."

"We're going to need all the help we can get," Kotetsu added, and Kakashi could see the toy wagon behind him loaded with supplies. "So if you could just lend us some stuff..."

Kakashi looked at them, and then to the broken line of Konoha's walls. Just thirteen hours before he had been dragged through those walls by the wire specialist who had been charged with getting Kakashi out of Kyuubi's reach. A half hour after that he had escaped from the man in the chaos and run back to where his sensei stood with his son in his arms. One hour later he was back in Konoha, this time not resisting as the other jounin bodily dragged him home and put him in his house before going to find out what was to become of Yondaime's son. And now he was faced with a pair of rookie chuunin who thought they could somehow make this situation _better_.

"Stuff's in the shed in the back," he told them and went back inside the house. The two were halfway down the walkway-Izumo muttering viciously- when Kakashi came back out with his sandals and forehead protector on. "I'll see what Gai and the others are doing. Which wall are we starting on?"

The two looked surprised. "Uh, the west wall," Izumo responded awkwardly. He was not sure what to make of the jounin's sudden cooperation. "Right by the civilian district."

The silverhaired jounin nodded. "I'll meet you there."

Yondaime may not have liked dying for Konoha, but he had. Now Kakashi had to try to make that mean something.

o0o0o0o0o

//End

// Ruined, once again, by Izumo's mouth.


End file.
